Conveyer for shoe factories



Oct. 15, 1935. Pf A ER 2,017,156

- 7 CONVEYER FOR SHOE FACTORIBS Filed June 20, 19:52 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 15, 1935. P. MATTLER CONVEYER FOR SHOE FAGTORIES v Filed June 20, 1932' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .3 0L an; 7 m

Patented Oct. 15, 1935 PATENT. OFFICE 2,017,156 CONVEYER FOR SHOE FACTORIES Peter Mattler, St. Louis, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 20,1932,.SerialNo. 618,249

.. 5 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe factory conveyers, and with regard to certain more specific features to automatic conveyers of this class.

This application relates to the co-pending application of Myron 0. Frost, Serial Number 530,266, filed April 16, 1931, for system for manufacturing shoes, in that the present application refers to the conveyer shown therein.

The present invention is also related to the copending application of Myron 0. Frost, Serial Number 558,922, filed August 24, 1931, and which has eventuated into Patent 1,863,557,. dated June 21, 1932. The present application refersto the type of conveyer used in certain parts of said system.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a belt type of conveyer for carrying individual shoes and the like (such as shoe fittings) for delivery to operators who receive the shoes from the conveyer, operate upon said shoes and return them to the conveyer or elsewhere; the provision of apparatus of the class described wherein automatic stoppage of theconveyer is effected if and when the last operator in the line of operators at the conveyer ceases his operations or fails to equal the capacity of the other operators; the provision of a. conveyer of the class described wherein a given operator, if his capacity is greater than the supply of shoes approaching him, may increase his supply by manually accelerating the conveyer independently of the automatic drive therefor; the provision of a conveyer of the class described which shall prevent interference between shoes; and the provision of apparatus of the above class which is simple and eifective. Other objects will be inpart obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

It will be understood that the use of shoes as examples of that which is to be conveyed, is exemplary and that any shoe material to be carried about a shoe factory is included.

The invention accordingly comprises the ele-' ments and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the, structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims;

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectiontaken on line 3-4 of Fi 1;

Fig. 4 is another cross section taken on line 4-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a top planview of another form of. the 5 inventiom 'Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig.5;

Fig. '7 is a cross section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 5; and,

Fig. 8 isa diagram showing an articulation be- 10 tween a conveyor, a switch, and shoes on said conveyer.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral l a supporting frame having longitudinal members 3 spaced apart by spacers 4 and between which are supported idler rollers 5. ,These idler rollers 5 support the upper and 20 lower' reaches 1 and 9 of a flexible belt composed,

or loosening the belt as desired.

The other drum I3 comprises a powerdruin'for driving the belt I, 9 and is fixedly mounted. on a shaft I9 upon which is a free running sprocket 3o 2i (Fig. 3) and also a fixed ratchet 23, against which ratchet is normally pressed (by a spring 25) a pawl 27, the pawl 21 being pinned at 29 to said sprocket 2|. A circular and relatively smooth rimmed hand wheel 3| is also afiixed to 35 said shaft i9. I

The'sprocket 2| is driven by a chain 33, said chain 3} being driven from a jack-shaft 35, the latter in turn being driven by a chain 31 from a shaft 39 of a speed reducer 4|, the latter being driven by an electric motor 43.

From the above it will be seen that the motor .43, through the speed reducer 41, chain 31, jack shaft 35, chain 33 and shaft is continuously drives a sprocket 2|. shown in Fig. 3. The rotation of the sprocket 2i results in transmission of motion to the ratchet 23 by way of the pawl 21 which is pressed into engagement therewith by means of the spring 25. The hand wheel 3! rotates with the shaft I9 50 which is thus driven.

It will be understood that the belt I, 9 has shoes on the upper reach thereof which pass various operators stationed along the belt, said operators picking up the shoes and operating The drive is clockwise, as 45 upon them, after which they are relayed upon .the belt. A given operator has a local area upon the belt from which he may choose but he usually chooses them as they approach in sequential order. v

It sometimes occurs, due to one reason or another, that one operator works faster than another and removes all of the shoes within his locality on the belt. This delays his activities. The operator who has the greatest opportunity for faster work is stationed near said hand wheel 3| so that when his locality on'the belt is without shoes, he grasps the hand wheel 3| and turns it clockwise (Fig. 3), thereby disengaging .the ratchet 23 from the pawl 21 and permitting that operator to advance the belt faster than it would otherwise under action of the driving motor 43.

It is to be understood that the operator may also do this if and when the other operators on the belt desire to have it done.

When the manual advance or acceleration of the belt is effected at the instance of one or less than the whole number of operators, this does not hamper the operation of the work of the other operators, because it merely resets the next shoe in the sequence at another point, but does not put it beyond reach, because, clearly, the operator near the hand wheel 3| could only have used up a number of shoes which require his reach on the belt and inasmuch as his reach equals that of the others, the chances for his moving the belt too far are quite negligible.

It sometimes occurs that the operator near the hand wheel 3| leaves the operation to perform some other duty or to aid his fellows. In such an event, shoes advance on the belt without being operated upon by said operator. In order to obviate said shoes passing said operator without having been worked upon, there is provided an' automatic stop in conjunction with the manual advance above described.

The stop comprises a feeler plate 45'on an arm l'l counter-weighted at 49. An extension 5| is adapted to engage a suitably counter-weighted arm 53 of a switch 55. The lever 53 is provided with a round bearing 5! adapted to be contacted bythe end of the arm 5| so as to effect sensitive operation. Associated .with the lever 53 is a contact 6| which is energized from a flexible electrical connection 63. An adjacent cooperating contact 65 is energized from an electrical connection 61.

From the above it will be seenthat when shoes are not removed from theautomatically or normally moving belt I, 9 that they drop to the feeler plate 45, thereby depressing the same and causing the switch 55 to open. The switch 55 being in the circuit of the motor 43 stops the belt movement until the operator returns and removes the shoe or shoes from the plate 45. It will be seen that in the above form of the invention, the return action of the switch 55 is dependent upon counterweight. Return may also be effected by springs, as will be shown in connection with the second form of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 7, there is shown the second form of thejnvention wherein a supportinging to a jack shaft as, the latter being driven by a chain 81. The chain 81 is driven by a sprocket 88 associated with a speed reducer 9|, the latter having a motor 93. In this form of the invention, no manual acceleration means is shown; therefore the drive between the motor 93 and the shaft 19 is unbroken by any ratchet mechanism.

In this form of the invention,.the chains 13 are fastened to a plurality of slats 95, composed of wood or the like having spaces 91 therebetween 1 for the placement of lasted or unlasted shoes as shown in Fig. 8. As is clear from said Fig. 8, the uppers 99 of said shoes S are placed between the slats 95, thus predeterminedly positioning the shoes on the conveyer and preventing interfer- I ence between them. Several shoes may ,be placed endwise in a single space between slats.

This form ofthe invention also uses a springreturn type of opening switch shown in Figs. 6 to 8. member 45 in Fig. 4) is shown at numeral Hll, the same being adjacent to the end of the conveyer and adapted to be contacted by a shoe, if it be left on the conveyer too long, as shown in Fig. 8... The feeler I 0| which extends over the 2 slatted belt is pivoted at 103 by means of an arm I05, the latter being .engageable with an arm I01 of a switch 109. The arm I01 is pivoted at Ill, said pivot i II also supporting for rotation, one

The feeler piece (corresponding to the 20 contact H3 engageable' and disengageable with 30 a contact H5, whereby the circuit of motor 93 may be opened or closed, depending upon the position of the feeler llil. Whenever the shoe or shoes which have remained too long'on the conveyer are removed from their position of en- 3 gagement with the feeler ii, the switch returns to closed contact position upon the action of a return spring H1.

It will be seen that in the form of Figs. 5 to 8, the feeler llll receives the driving force of the belt through the shoes, whereas in the form of Figs. 1 to 4, the belt has only a frictional engagement with the shoes, and they are therefore caused to drop into the feeler and to operate-the same by gravity. 4

It will be understood that the shoes which are located on the slatted type of conveyer may or may not have lasts therein. If they do have lasts therein, the peaks of the lasts are positioned between the slats 95, as indicated in dotted lines at 5 numeral H9.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out 5 the above constructions without departing from I the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting element at a predetermined rate of speed, and

manually operable means for increasing the rate of speed of the element, such means acting while the mechanism for advancing the element at the predetermined rate is in operation. r

2. A conveyer comprising an endless articl bearing element, mechanism including an overrunning'drive structure for advancing said element at a predetermined rate of speed, and manually operable means for increasing the rate of speed of the element, such means acting while the amuse mechanism for advancing the element at the predetermined rate is in operation.

3. A conveyer comprising an endless article bearing element, mechanism for advancing said element at a predetermined rate of speed, said mechanism including a shaft and an overrunning drive structure for rotating the shaft, and manually operable means by which the speed of rotation of the shaft is increased and the rate of speed of the element increased, said means acting while the mechanism for advancing the element at the predetermined rate is in operation.

4. A -conveyer comprising a. movable endless belt, mechanism for advancing said belt at a predetermined rate of speed, said mechanism including a drum about which the belt is loo'ped, a shaft on which thetdrum is fixed and an overrunning drive structure for rotating said shaft, and menually operable means fixed to said shaft and by which the speed of rotation of the shaft is increased and the rate of speed of the belt isincreased, said means acting while the mechanism for advancing the element at the predetermined rate is in operation.

5. A conve'yer comprising a movable endless belt, mechanism for advancing said belt at a predetermined rate of speed, said mechanism including a drum about which the belt is looped, a shaft on which the drum is fixed, a sprocket fixed to the shaft, a second sprocket free-running on the shaft, a pawl carried by the second sprocket and adapted to engage the first, and power means for driving the second sprocket and thereby through the elements recited advancing the belt, and manually operable means fixed to said shaft and by which the shaft is rotated to advance the belt at a speed greater than the predetermined rate 

